World Expeditions is inviting agents to attend its upcoming Thoughtful Traveller Q&A and urging them to complete a 2 minute survey in the leadup to the event, which will be held at the company’s Sydney headquarters on Wednesday 14th March.

World Expeditions collaborates with expert organizations to develop its industry-leading Responsible Travel policies and the Thoughtful Traveller Q&A will be the first time the company has brought these organizations together in an interactive public forum.

If there’s an issue you’d like to know more about, you can ask the panel directly on the night – or you can submit a question via the 2 minute survey – and World Expeditions will put your question to the panel for you. The event will be video recorded so, even if you can’t attend in person, you’ll get answers to your questions.

According to World Expeditions Responsible Travel Manager, Donna Lawrence, travel agents are in the front line – they are the people talking to travellers every day, so the company is calling for feedback about the issues that are important to them – and to their clients.

“If you want to know how travellers can ensure animal encounters on holiday are not harmful to the animals, how they can avoid being unwitting contributors to contaminating our agricultural industry and natural environment and why orphanage tourism can be damaging to children, please consider attending our Thoughtful Traveller event or submitting a question via the survey,” Ms Lawrence said.

World Expeditions believes it has a responsibility to educate travellers about the principles of ethical travel and this event is designed to give attendees the opportunity to come along and ask questions that they want answered, such as

• Environmental sustainability: Why it’s important that travel has an overall positive impact on the environment. How an individual’s decision to travel carbon neutrally can help us from being fossil fuel dependent to a world reliant on renewable energy?

• Child- safe tourism: Why orphanage tourism is a no-go, the best way to make a sustainable difference to child beggars in holiday destinations; what role can you play in the war against child trafficking?

• Animal friendly tourism: How to ensure your animals encounters on holiday are not harmful to the animals; how to identify which “sanctuaries” are truly there for the benefit of the animals in their care? What are the key tips to spot hidden animal cruelty?

• Equity and rights for overseas tourism staff: How to ensure local staff are being looked after and not exploited?

• Litter minimization and management: What are the best tips to ensure you leave a place as you found it; how to minimise your environmental footprint? How can you join the global movement to keep wilderness trails free of litter?

• Travel as a catalyst for peace: How can we spread peace on our travels?

• Bio Security: How to ensure you’re not an unwitting contributor to contaminating our agricultural industry and natural environment?

Ms Lawrence says the major objectives of the event are to provide quality information and guidance on best sustainable travel practices and to inspire people to become stewards for travelling sustainably and responsibly.

“We also want to stimulate a snowball effect of discussion around topical issues after the event through print and online media and have other travel companies get involved,” she said.

“Responsible Travel sits at the core of our ethos and we aim to incorporate its principles in all aspects of operations,” she said. “As well as collaborating with leading organizations in the Responsible Travel space, we believe we have a responsibility to educate our travellers and the wider travelling community about the concepts of Responsible Travel.”

Show you care about Responsible Travel by completing the 2 minute survey and/or by registering to attend the event. Whether or not you can get to the event, you can still submit a question to the panel via the 2 minute survey. Visit www.worldexpeditions.com or call 1300 720 000 for further information. The event will be video recorded, so agents unable to get along on the night can tune in down the track, to hear the discussion.